1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a single user, portable exercise device for exercising the abdominal muscles and other muscle groups.
2. Background of the Invention
The muscles of the human abdomen are a strong indicator of health and fitness. These muscles support nearly every movement of the body, assisting posture, maintaining balance, and permitting spine mobility. Each breath is supported by abdominal muscles and internal organs are protected by these core muscles. In addition to providing these functions, a well toned stomach is considered visually appealing. Because of the benefits from having strong stomach muscles, a wide variety of exercises and exercise devices exist to strengthen this core muscle group.
Exercise devices targeted toward abdominal exercises include abdominal chairs, rollers, sliders, and exercise balls. Many of these devices only permit a limited range of motion by the user, such as extending the torso out in one direction and returning along the same direction. Exercise with such devices can be effective in developing or toning the rectus abdominus muscle, which some fitness enthusiasts sculpt into what are sometimes colloquially referred to as “six-pack abs,” but such exercise is less effective for developing or toning other muscles or muscle groups, including the abdominal muscles which are involved with lateral movement and rotation. It is therefore desirable to have an exercise device capable of lateral movement and which can incorporate a wide variety of exercises to strengthen multiple muscle groups.
An example of an exercise device that is designed for exercising a user's abdominal muscles is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,993,250 to Abbott. The Abbott exercise device comprises a large pliable support ball having handles diametrically extending therefrom. The handles are rotatably supported on a shaft that runs through the center of the support ball. The Abbott exercise device has the disadvantage that the support ball rotates only in the direction that is perpendicular to its handles.
An exercise device which purports to enable a user to have multiple ranges of motion during abdominal exercise is described in U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0160024 of Candela. The Candela exercise device has a partially exposed support ball captured within a housing, and two handles extending from the housing. The support ball is retained within the housing by a collar. Loose ball bearings are disposed in a space between the housing and the support ball. The operability of the Candela exercise device suffers from the fact that these ball bearings are free to move about within the cavity and to collect in the collar region at the bottom of the cavity. This, in turn, may result in the top of the support ball binding against the inside of the housing. Also, the free-wandering ball bearings may intermittently bunch up and bind together, resulting in unpredictable operation of the Candela exercise device. The handles are removable, making the subject to being lost, but are locked immovably in place to small protrusions on opposite sides of the housing. When the user applies his or her body weight to the handles, the resulting torque exerted by the handles on the housing protrusions tends to cause the housing to pinch inward against the ball bearings and the support ball possibly causing binding of the support ball. Such binding will interfere with the overall movement of the exercise device. Another drawback of the Candela exercise device is the large size of its support ball which requires the housing to be large.
In our health conscious, mobile society there is a need for a better portable device capable of multi-directional movement and consistent operation for exercising the entire abdominal core and other muscle groups.